Where the Petals Bloom
by Camelliawolf
Summary: They say "opposites attract". Two characters of rebel and nobility are paired. The resulting love will be fluffed up and spiced with a pinch or two of lemon added. A series of drabbles featuring Ragna and Tsubaki.
1. Nightmares

**Author's Note: Much like my fellow Ragna/Tsubaki writer, Velvien, I have decided to make a drabble series for this pairing. Keep in mind that when reading each of these drabbles, Ragna and Tsubaki will already be a couple.**

**The first three chapters (drabbles) will take place in the Crimson Camellia story arc. They will transpire between the events of the seventh and the eighth chapter.**

**Rated M for future chapters and most possible lemon or two.**

* * *

_It was a bright day. The sun was out, visible in the clear blue sky. A young Ragna dashed over to the top of the hill. There, he saw Saya, focused in a book while being protected by the shade of the tree branches and leaves above her. She looked inquisitively at her older brother. Smiling to himself, he waved his right arm and called out for her, beckoning her to follow him. "Come over here, Saya!"_

_Suddenly, Ragna's vision changed. A dark void took over. At once, he saw Saya's joyous face transformed. She fell back. Ragna found himself rushing to her side, catching her with both arms to break her fall. Her face was deathly pale. Her eyes were shut as she cringed in pain. Several coughs erupted from her, a sign of her fever. Ragna looked ahead; the hillside changed into the burning church._

_Ragna saw Jin just ahead, holding a sword and a blue sheath. He desperately reached out to his brother, wondering just what happened. Suddenly a tempest of pain greeted him from his right side. He looked down at his severed arm in the building pool of his blood. He screamed in horror. A sudden maniac laughter followed afterwards._

_A frozen Ragna looked up to see an older man with green hair. The standing figure bent down and picked up Ragna's arm, not at all caring about the crimson liquid dripping from it. "Wow! He cut it off! How does it feel, Raggy? Does it hurt? Does it hurt? Of course it does! Hahahaha!"_

_All the pained Ragna could do was bleed from the stump of his severed arm at Terumi's feet. Terumi continued to laugh maniacally as he taunted Ragna. Afterwards, he snatched up Saya and took his leave, content to let the boy bleed to death._

_The scene shifted; Ragna, now much older, stood in the lower levels of an NOL branch. He recognized it immediately; it was the NOL branch of the 13__th__ Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi. He saw three familiar figures- the faces of Tsubaki, Jin, and Nu. Ragna gasped at the sight. A brutal fight took place between them. Nu, the 13__th__ Prime Field summoned multiple swords. Tsubaki, a desperate choice to save Jin, lunged forward._

"_Tsubaki!" Ragna tried to run forward to her, to reach out and hold her, but his body was immobilized. He could only gape as the blades speared her delicate body. Afterwards, her body laid motionless in Jin's arms. Ragna screamed in shock and anguish and melancholy as he tried to fight the restraint of his body. "No! Tsubaki!"_

_Rage and sorrow seeped into his body, overriding his emotions. Dark energy covered his right arm, emitting a pulsating noise. The sensation was too much to bear. Masses of seithr engulfed his body. His left eye glowed blood-red. His fingers honed into claws. What terrified the last of his humanity was the overwhelming power one could have- how great that power felt. Blackness surrounded his vision. Ragna heard blood-curdling screams of thousands of people._

_He felt his body destroy everything and devoured up many people. He couldn't save the ones he cared about. Visions of Tsubaki, Jin, Noel, Rachel, and others came to view. He dreadfully called out for them. One thought came to Ragna- there would no hope left in the world. His last sight watched over as the world began to fade into oblivion. _

* * *

Ragna's eyes shot open. He sat up immediately, clutching his head with his hand. As he took several deep breaths to calm himself from his nightmare, he looked around in the dark room he slept in. Outside his window, a faint light of the moon shone. The glow illuminated most of the room, lighting up the dark, wooden furniture. Thoughts drifted to his dream. Ragna remembered the old memories, engraved in his mind forever. He paled as he recalled Tsubaki's apparent demise. Worry etched its way into his mixed emotions_. It… it felt a like a memory, but it never happened. … Shit._

Now wide awake, Ragna thought best to get something to drink. He stripped the covers of the bed and shifted over to the edge. After putting his feet on the hard floor, he made his way through the threshold, feeling around for anything solid to support himself with. Walking through the hallway, he glanced over to a particular door, creaked open just the slightest bit. His lips curved upward into a small smile. Memories of Tsubaki and himself just hours before came into mind.

Not looking where he was meandering, Ragna lost his footing and nearly tripped on a stray table against the wall of the passage. He managed to balance before falling face-first, and emitted a gruff, low curse, not loud enough to be heard throughout the whole mansion, but loud enough to echo down the hallway he walked through. He shot a nervous glance to Tsubaki's open room. When no sound came from inside, he breathed out and continued his way towards the kitchen.

* * *

A bang, followed by a harsh-sounding whisper sounded from the hall. Tsubaki slowly opened her eyes as she let out a moan. As she rubbed them, her vision, although in a black room, became clear. "Mm."

She glanced outside the door. A shadowy figure stood still for a moment. Fatigue left Tsubaki's eyes as curiosity gripped her as she too a better look at the shadow. A few seconds later, the form waned, most likely getting farther away from her room. Knowing that it would be difficult to go to sleep until she could find out what that was, Tsubaki quietly got out of bed. With much stealth, she tiptoed down the hall, finding that the open door lead to the kitchen and dining room.

Opening the door more, Tsubaki's eyes widened as she looked at the white mess of hair just above the couch. She tiptoed over around the couch to get a better look. Ragna had been slumped on the couch with crossed arms and eyes closed. He did not seem to notice Tsubaki standing in front of him. Tsubaki whispered, "Ragna? Is everything alright?"

"Hm?" Ragna opened his eyes to look at the girl in front of him. His expression softened, although his nightmare still inundated his mind. "Tsubaki, shit, sorry, did I wake you up?"

"Oh, no, you didn't." A bit of a lie; he had been the one who made the light ruckus in the hallway. Letting her blame evaporate, Tsubaki's lips curved downward. She repeated, "Is everything alright? Why are you awake?"

Ragna shook his head, deciding not make her worry even more, especially about something as trivial as this. "It's… nothing important."

"Ragna," Tsubaki pressed forward. His reply did not match the tone in his voice. Something was wrong; something made him uneasy and distressed and she wanted to find out just what it was. "It couldn't have been 'nothing important' if it bothers you like this. Please tell me."

"Just… a stupid, bad dream."

Tsubaki frowned deeper, ideas swarming to find some way to comfort him. One rooted in, convincing herself that all he might just need is company. "Would you like me to stay here with you? Do you want to talk about it?"

Ragna was confused. Talking was usually not his way to solve his issues. He shook his head, hoping to assure her that something as stupid like this was of little importance. "You need your sleep, I'll be fine."

Tsubaki sighed with some frustration. _Why is he being so… stubborn? And dismissive? _Rather than leave, she made her way next to him on the couch. Thoughts of how much he had helped her formed. Now, she could return it once, even for something like this. He needed company and comfort, and she was there to give it to him. "Please, I want to help. This could be a way for me to repay you for everything you've done for me."

"Repayment, huh?" Ragna smirked at her, sending her heart aflutter. When she sat next to him, Ragna at last obliged to let her stay with him, knowing there was no point arguing any further. He draped his arm around her shoulders. "Fine, you win. Remember, though, you don't need to repay me."

"Mm." Tsubaki smiled and leaned into his embrace. She snuggled her head in the crook of his neck, face buried in his chest. Her eyes closed as she simply sat there, content. Deciding not to reply to his last sentence, she instead repeated her last question again. "Do you want to talk about your dream? It could help."

Ragna remained silent, wishing to not have to recall those horrid visions. _Why the hell am I always being haunted through my memories? _He pulled Tsubaki closer, gently nuzzling his forehead with the top of her head. The pair solely sat there, enjoying the presence the other brought them. After a couple of minutes, he yawned; the waves of fatigue coming down to him. Tsubaki looked up at him curiously. Ragna said, "I think I should go back to sleep."

Tsubaki lifted her head and cleared some distance from him to help him get up. "Okay, I'll help you to the room."

They both raised themselves from the comfort of the couch and headed back into the hallway. After careful steps, they reached his room. She gave him a timid glance. "Um… can I… is it alright for me to stay for a bit? I still want to be with you."

After making his way in bed, Ragna smirked again and lifted the covers, inviting her on the bed. When she climbed in, he released a small chuckle and teased. "I never would have thought the reserved Tsubaki Yayoi would offer to want to sleep alongside an infamous criminal. In general, I never expected you for this type of chick."

"No!" A loud response followed. Tsubaki flushed brick red as she sputtered, trying to clear out words to explain herself. Hoping she did not wake anyone, she whispered, "It's not… that. I, um, just wanted… um…"

Ragna raised an eyebrow at the mess of words she created. He urged her to continue. "You wanted…"

Tsubaki, cheeks still red, gave him a playful punch in the arm, expecting to cease his mocking. "Please stop that. We're not ready to… um, move further. All I wanted was… for you to… hold me."

She looked away, avoiding eye contact and as well trying to hide her darkening blush.

"Sorry, just wanted to see how you'd react." Ragna's mocking at last stopped. He smiled at her choice of words and took her in his arms again. He shut his eyes. "What the hell? I feel tired, but restless enough to not go to sleep. Is this normal, Tsubaki?"

"In some cases, yes." Tsubaki answered. An idea came to her. It had been so long since… "Would you like me to sing to you?"

"Hm? You sing?" Ragna looked at her in surprise.

"It's something I haven't done in a long time. My mother used to sing me a lullaby when I couldn't sleep."

Awkwardness came to him at the thought of having to be sung to sleep. It felt a little silly, Ragna thought. Nevertheless, he nodded. No sooner, Tsubaki closed and sang. A quiet, beautiful cradlesong entered Ragna's ears. He laid in silence, relaxing to Tsubaki voice. Occasionally, her angelic tune would shift from low notes to high notes and vice versa.

After two minutes, the song was over. Tsubaki's eyes opened and she looked at Ragna's sleeping form. With a tired, bleary smile, she caressed his cheek once, her soft fingers running down his cheek. In slow movement, she prepared herself to leave the bed and return back to her room. It had been a long night, she decided.

However, Ragna's grip around her did not waver, much to her surprise. Rather, he pulled her closer to him, pecking her on the cheek and bringing his mouth to her listening ear. He murmured three words, just loud enough for only her to hear. "Stay with me."

Tsubaki's breath caught at the feel of his lips on her cheek. Smiling, she shifted over and closed whatever distance there was between them, cuddling up against his firm body. She returned the gesture with a kiss of her own upon his cheek. "Goodnight, Ragna."


	2. Laughter and Memories

**Author's Note: I humbly encourage you readers to let me know what you think. I will appreciate any sort of feedback from you. Also, now that school has started, updates will take slower than usual. I will certainly try my best to update as fast as possible.  
**

***Disclaimer* I do not own any titles of Blazblue. Blazblue rightfully belongs to Arc System Works.**

* * *

The pendulum clock chimed at the hour of 9 AM. Tsubaki was the first to wake up. She moaned with drowsiness as she rubbed her eyes. Her first thought of the morning was confusion as to why there was an unfamiliar weight on her waist. Looking over, she saw Ragna's sleeping form next to her. She smiled happily as memories of the previous night came to mind. Without wanting to disturb him, she looked out the window. She had almost mistaken it to be nighttime, given the color of the black sky, but when she looked at the clock, she frowned.

Shaking her head, she turned her attention to Ragna. She could feel his strong arms, holding her in close. His head had fallen to her shoulder. His snoring, loud and long, made her chuckle. _He looks so peaceful. But still… _With a bleary smile, Tsubaki leaned forward and kissed Ragna's cheek a good morning.

Upon contact, Ragna's eyes strained opened. His usual morning grumbles and complaints are silenced when he stared at Tsubaki. He returned her smile with a lazy one of his own. "Hey there, Tsubaki."

"Good morning, Ragna." Tsubaki drifted one of her hands to stroke his cheek. "Mm. Were you able to sleep better?"

"Yeah," Ragna agreed. His eyes closed contently and his arms around her tightened their embrace. "I slept very well, thanks."

Before Tsubaki could say anything in response, she found herself pulled closer until their lips touched. Although dazed, she returned it, eyes closing. Her other arm moved upwards towards Ragna's shoulder and she squeezed. She moaned as she felt Ragna's right arm coil around to her back. His other ascended its way to her head, holding it in place.

After a while, they both pulled away. Breathless and eyes opening, Tsubaki asked with her cheeks burning a heavy shade of red. "What… What was that for…?"

"Just thanking you for last night, Tsubaki." Ragna replied as he stared at her azure hues. He thought about her angelic singing, lulling him to sleep. It was now his turn for his cheeks burn as he lowered his head to rub noses with her. "I really needed the company. Thanks."

"It was no problem. But… what will Rachel say if she finds out that we slept together? She strictly gave us separate rooms for the night."

"Don't worry 'bout her," Ragna eased. He tilted his head and nuzzled foreheads with Tsubaki. "It's been done; what can she do?"

"Um, ban us from seeing each other…"Although worried about how much authority Rachel could have, Tsubaki nevertheless chuckled. The way they are positioned, she felt Ragna's messy hair rustling along her skin like blades of grass flowing in a light breeze. Her simple chuckle grew into light laughter.

Ragna shot his girlfriend an inquisitive glance. "What?"

Tsubaki ran her hand through Ragna's spiky hair. Naturally, her fingers got tangled. "Heh, your hair is so messy and spread out everywhere that's it's tickling me a bit."

Ragna smirked evilly, ideas rapidly forming in his mind. "So you're ticklish?"

Tsubaki nodded, but quickly regretted it a second afterwards. That smirk of his unnerved her a bit. Her eyes widened. Knowing exactly what he was thinking, Tsubaki quickly tried to think of possible solutions out of the situation she managed she put herself in. With her brain coming up with virtually nothing, all she did was cower away a bit with fear, freeing herself from the embrace.

She backed away as he shifted forward. Her back was eventually pressed to the wall. Now, in an utterly hopeless state, Tsubaki gave Ragna a look matched with a warning. "Ragna the Bloodedge, don't you dare..."

Unfortunately for her, her warning fell on deaf ears. As quick as a whip, a lecherous Ragna lashed both of his arms to her sides with his fingers poking. After a convulsing shriek, the room was soon filled his uncontrollable laughter from the vulnerable, red-haired girl. Squirming and giggling madly, Tsubaki futilely tried to pry off his strong hands. "Ra-Ra-Rag… Rag… na- hahaha … Hahaha! Hahahaha… P-P-Please… N-No… Ahaha!"

Ragna joined in with his own chuckling. With effort, he ignored her flailing and turned her body until she was on her back with her belly up. Ragna's left arm grabbed both of her flailing arms and firmly pinned them over her head on the mattress, rendering her more helpless. His right arm lowered itself towards her stomach, sneaking continuous pokes on her stomach.

Tsubaki continued to laugh and scream. She found it was impossible to attempt to pry off his arms; his hold on her two arms was just too strong. She found that tears had budded at the corners of her eyes from laughing too much. She squirmed and begged, hoping to do everything to get her boyfriend to stop. It was for naught. "Pl-Please… Ahahaha… hahahaha! Rag… na! St-St-Stop! Ahahahahahahahaha!"

To Tsubaki's amazement, Ragna suddenly stopped, releasing her arms in the process. Before she could chastise him for that, he quickly leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a searing kiss, swallowing up the end of her chortles. Her eyes widened in sheer surprise; she had not expected that at all from him. The kiss only lasted a few seconds until Tsubaki's mind cleared out.

Abruptly, Tsubaki pulled away from the kiss and gave Ragna a mean look. She pouted, "That's not fair! You have no right to do that!"

"Admit it; you seemed to have enjoyed it…" Ragna countered.

All that response earned was a glare from his girlfriend. Ragna smirked wider and he chuckled as he met her eyes with his challenging pupils. Still, he mentally thought about how fun it was to see Tsubaki like this. _She looks so damn cute. _

After two hushed minutes, Tsubaki's glare slowly faded. Her expression softened and she allowed a tiny smile make her way to her lips. "Geez…"

Ragna sat up, moving enough to give her room to do the same. "Sorry, it's just that…" He closed his eyes in reminiscence. "It's been a long time since I did that. Last time was probably with Saya."

"Saya?" Tsubaki sat up and looked at him questionably. That same name buzzed in her head numerous times. _Where have I heard that name?_ "I'm sorry, but I'm sure I am familiar with that name. Who is she?"

"My sister."

"Sister?" Tsubaki's eyes only widened. She had not known this before.

"Yeah," Ragna nodded and opened his eyes to meet hers. "One of my younger siblings, actually. You probably already know that Jin's my younger brother."

"Yes. I… learned that from Intelligence before I was stationed in Ikaruga from Captain Hazama. It sounded so outlandish that I couldn't believe it."

Ragna broke eye contact and glared at the wall. He did not want Tsubaki to be a factor of his building rage. Before he could say anything else, his stomach growled loudly. Deciding he was hungry more than anything, he started to lift himself from the bed. "I'm kinda hungry. Gonna go make some breakfast."

Tsubaki lifted herself as well and walked beside him. "I'll join you."

The duo walked to the kitchen of the mansion. Ragna immediately set out to look for the dishes ingredients. As he worked with complete focus, Tsubaki only watched. She gazed at amazement of his quick movements, carefully setting everything right. Tsubaki said, "You cook?"

"Yeah; bit of a hobby for me and traveling alone for a long while kinda forces you to catch things on."

Tsubaki thought for a moment. "You know, I hardly know much about you."

"Same here; hoping to change that real soon." Ragna took his attention off his cooking and smirked at her. "Wait, breakfast is almost done."

After a few minutes, Ragna had just finished preparing the plates. His plate, on the right, was topped with scrambled eggs and bacon strips. Tsubaki's had two pieces of French toast and eggs. He handed his plate over to her. Just the mere sight of her meal sent her stomach in an excited state.

Tsubaki took the place gratefully. Before she could say anything, her stomach released a loud growl. She blushed with an embarrassing smile. "Oh, excuse me. I'm just…"

"Yeah, hungry." Ragna smirked a little and began to walk back to the room. Tsubaki followed in suite. It was another silent walk to the bed. Eventually, the pair sat on the bed, ready to dig into their meals.

After her first bite, her eyes drifted to his face in amazement. "Wow. This is really good, Ragna."

"Glad to serve. Somehow, the skill eventually came natural to me. Don't… know how anyone could really screw up a breakfast."

"Oh, you'd be surprised." Tsubaki blanched at the memory of Noel's… creations back in the academy days. They were legends, but for the wrong reason. Her friend's cooking could have been used as a lethal weapon, itself. She shivered. "Noel, her um, cooking…"

"Huh? What about it? Is it bad?"

"'Bad' would be a just a simple complement for it."

"…What?" Ragna gave her a deadpan stare of disbelief.

"I promise you, it is the truth." Tsubaki giggled a bit, memories of her times with Noel and Makoto coming. "Everyone dreaded her 'death meals'. I honestly don't know how someone could do it."

Ragna chuckled, not needing to prolong barbs towards Noel's cooking. As he and Tsubaki ate their dishes, he glanced over to her. "So… anything in particular you wanna know or…?"

"May I ask why you began your crusade against the Librarium, to begin with? I understand that it may be a sensitive subject…" Tsubaki trailed off. She did not wish to pry any more than she should. But the question was already given. Now, she just waited patiently for the answer.

Ragna heaved a sigh, his tone of voice becoming solemn. His eyes soften to boot. "I lived most of my young childhood years in some abandoned church far from any of the Hierarchical Cities. I grew up with my two younger siblings, Jin and Saya, and was raised with a foster mother."

"I see." Tsubaki listened carefully to every word, ingesting them. "What was growing up with Jin like?"

"Honestly, it was kinda annoying; he always wanted to cling to me. Other times he was distant as well, never understood why." Ragna paused and took a bite of his meal. After swallowing, he continued, "Anyways, at one point Saya fell really ill with a fever. I stopped spending time with Jin to take care of her. The bastard grew jealous of her. The foster mother… well, she was getting old. Couldn't help out as much…"

As Ragna spoke, Tsubaki set her plate aside, deciding she was no longer hungry. With both hands now free, she placed one of them atop of his. The look of sympathy in her eyes insisted him to continue, and he abided. "One day, I was out getting water from a nearby river stream and I heard a loud bang. I looked towards the direction of the church and saw smoke. I rushed back to see what the hell had happened. I saw Saya, unconscious and half-dead. Suddenly, Jin appeared. It looked as though he was… I dunno, possessed. Then another bastard came into the picture. Name is Terumi. You know him as Captain Hazama."

"What? Captain Hazama of the Intelligence Department? He's Terumi? The member of the Six Heroes who betrayed the others? What…?" Tsubaki couldn't believe what she was hearing. As much as she wanted to stop him from continuing-_it's all too much to take in_- she wanted to know what happened next. She bit her lower lip and rubbed his hand, the only way she could think of to comfort.

Ragna took her silence as a sign to continue. "Yeah, son of a bitch cut my arm off and kidnapped Saya. And then he left me to bleed to death with no home."

"Oh my God." She paled. Tsubaki covered her mouth with her free hand, eyes widening. She let those words repeat themselves in her head two more times. _That's… _"Terumi did that? That's horrible."

Words couldn't describe what Ragna must have gone through. For a man like Terumi to display such a sinful act… Tsubaki knew she had misgivings about the officer; she had ever since he issued that order. Now she can see the truth and understand…

Sorrow, pity, and anger flowed through Tsubaki. She clenched her teeth, trying her best not to display her rage. Eventually, the antagonism built was set aside. Without warning, Tsubaki closed the distance between them. She embraced Ragna and shuddered. "I'm so sorry to hear that. Your life must have been so hard."

"So that's mainly why my war with the Library started. I knew I had to find Saya and Jin." Ragna's expression darkened even as he returned the hug. "And then I find out 'bout a month ago that Saya's the damn Imperator."

_So that's where I have heard that name. Oh God… _Tsubaki repeated. "I-I'm so sorry."

"I'm doing fine." After taking a shuddering breath, he moved his head back to face her. He stared at her captivating eyes a bit longer. Ragna asked, hoping to move on from the subject for the time being. "So… what was growing up like for you?"

Tsubaki closed her eyes in reminiscence. "Well, as you know, I am of the Yayoi family of the Duodecim. I grew up mostly as a sheltered child. I met Jin recently after he was adopted into the Kisaragi family."

"What was growing up with him like for you?"

"Like I said, I was sheltered for most of my childhood. I've been lonely until I met him. He displayed great care for me as we grew up. Of course, we only saw each other about once a month when our family heads met. We were very close, as well. I've looked up to him as a big brother." Tsubaki closed her eyes and smiled. "We both attended the Military Academy together. I made so many good friends."

Tsubaki's voice cracked and she looked down in shame. Her smile had disappeared, as well. "Although, I don't think they would ever consider me that again… Considering what I did to them."

Ragna gently placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "If you're sorry for what you did, then they'll forgive you."

"I hope so," Tsubaki locked eyes with her boyfriend. She smiled amiably, remembering all the times he had been there for her. She moved her hands upwards stopping at the top of his shoulders. She leaned in slowly and said, "If all had happened differently, I probably never would have met you. I'm… grateful that you're here, Ragna."

Ragna cupped her supple cheeks with both of his hands. He leaned in just enough to touch noses together. They both felt their warm breaths mingle. He gave her a quirky smile. "It's a mutual thing."

Ragna closed the gap between their lips. One hand encircled around to her back while the other held her head in place. Tsubaki closed her eyes and moaned as she returned it, letting their lips move in unison. Her body shifted until it fit like a puzzle piece in his lap.

Tsubaki found his bottom lip and suckled it for a few seconds. She then pressed forward, deepening the kiss. Ragna's tongue traced her bottom lip. She parted her lips just enough to extend her own tongue, meeting it with a nudge. There is nothing but absolute bliss for the couple. The kiss felt as if it lasted forever.

Breath loss, Ragna leans back, teasingly pulling on her lower lip as he did so. Their eyes opened and they stared at the wonder they held.

Tsubaki leaned her head again, stopping only at the crook of Ragna's neck. She pressed her ear to his heart as she let out a contented sigh. "Wow…"

"Heh, yeah." Ragna tightened his hold, pulling her closer. He smiled as he felt her breaths on his neck. He had no desire to move from that position.

They sat there for several minutes. Eventually, Tsubaki looked up and asked, "Um, is there anything else we should do, now? It's… just after noon and as much as I am comfortable, it… really isn't healthy to stay in bed like this all day."

He heaved a sigh in response, but nonetheless rubbed foreheads again, a gesture he came to love. "You're right. Okay, five more minutes, and then we go see what that damn bunny-leech wants."

All Tsubaki did was chuckle from his lackluster reply and from the tickling sensation of his hair on her skin again.


	3. First Date

The streets of the city were busy. To say a lot of people were present would be an understatement. Everyone passing by bumped into one another. Many apologies and pardons were sounded from the bumping people. A number of them, in fact, did not notice a certain pair walking through the streets. With their hands locked together, Tsubaki led Ragna through the streets, in search for a decent restaurant. She spoke up, loud enough in hopes to filter out the noise around them. "I'm glad we could finally go out like this."

"Yeah, sure is nice of the damned Rabbit to let us go out." Ragna agreed. "Bitch is almost never agreeable."

"Your language is something I definitely need to work on tonight. Please try to restrain yourself." Chuckling a bit, she decided to go for a jab. She teased, "Though I must admit, I'm also surprised Rachel was so vehement about not wanting us to go. I mean, if anything, I thought she would want you away from her as much as possible."

"Yeah… Hey!" Ragna's expression slipped when he heard the last of her comment. He shot her an accusing look. "The hell is that supposed to mean?"

Tsubaki met his eyes with hers, burning with passion. "Nothing…"

Before Ragna could reply back, Tsubaki stopped for a moment to rise on her tiptoes and plant a quick, soft kiss on his cheek. The feeling of her soft lips on his cheek halted any more objections from Ragna. He glanced down at her joyful face, and smirked. Without any words needed, he let go of his girlfriend's hand, immediately draping his right arm over his shoulders.

Tsubaki smiled as she drifted closer to his firm body. She coiled one of her arms around his waist. Ragna continued, "But yeah, it is nice that we can do something… uh, couple-related. Didn't really have much time at the bunny-leech's mansion."

"It's called a date. But yes, it really is nice." Tsubaki mentally wished she had something nicer for the outing. However, to be safe, she and Ragna both stuck with their usual clothing. She had only left her eye cap back. Deciding best to forget what she looked like, she gave him an inquisitive look. "So, is there anything in particular that you want to eat?"

"I'm kinda craving some Chinese food. Know any restaurants?"

"No, I don't. Unfortunately, we're in a city I've never been to before. I'm sure that if we keep walking, we'll find something." Tsubaki's stomach growled- a reminder that she was hungry as well and was telling her that right now, anything would be of satisfactory. The pair wandered the streets for the next couple of minutes, looking anxiously for any restaurants. At last, Tsubaki sighted a building with unique architecture. The russet roof curved upward with red pillars held the structure upright. A decorative fountain of a jade stone dragon stood at its center.

Tsubaki stopped and tugged Ragna's arm, prompting her to look at her direction. The blissful aroma of spices and fried food drifted in the air. Soon, they were both looking at the restaurant. The sign above was titled _The Tempestuous Den. _Ragna was the first to speak. "Wanna go there?"

"Why not, we've been walking around a lot, have we?" And with that, they walked onwards an across the street. As they entered through the open doors, they took their surroundings. Two circular cuttings from the left and right wall were present. They also realized that many bewildering eyes fell upon them. Ignoring them, they walked forward.

The maître stood against the wall behind a desk with the cashier, a bowl of fortune cookies, and a cylinder of toothpicks astride the furniture. Ragna called out, "Hey, think we could get a table to eat?"

The maître was no doubt shocked at the presence of the Grim Reaper in front of him. And he was asking for a table. Cautious, he nonetheless nodded. "Of… course, sir. Please follow me."

He grabbed two menus from inside the counter and strode along. Ragna and Tsubaki followed in suite. Ragna was the first to sit down at the small table, consisting of only two chairs across from each other. The server set down the menus and waited for his customers to get settled. He pulled out a tiny clip pad and pen and asked, "Is there anything you would like to drink?"

Ragna nodded at his girlfriend, letting her select first. "Tsubaki?"

"Oh, um, I suppose I'll have the houkui tea, please."

"Thank you. And you… sir?"

Ragna closed his eyes in thought. "Eh. I'll just take the oolong tea."

"Very well. I will be back shortly to take your orders."

Ragna waited for the waiter to fully be out of view. When he left, Ragna gave Tsubaki a look. "Doesn't really have an accent, does he?"

"I suppose so." Tsubaki nodded, also finding it quite strange that a typical man with no background worked in such a place. Oh well, no point dwelling on it. Setting aside the thought, she chuckled and smiled at him. She peered at the laminated menu on the table. "So, what do you think you'll have?"

"I saw an interesting picture of a bowl of some noodles. Um… oh, here it is. I might have the dan dan noodles, here. Wanna split the eight-piece dumplings?" Ragna's mouth began to water just from the look and the short description given. He had the presence of mind to not let his mouth hang open for saliva to spill.

"Definitely. As for me… the kung pao chicken looks good. Hmm… the dan dan noodles are quite spicy, though. Are you sure that's-" She fell silence as she looked at Ragna's hungry face. Tsubaki's smile curved into a teasing smirk. "Careful. I don't want you drooling, now."

"I'm fine. I can take it." Ragna huffed, shutting his mouth, and closed his eyes. However, the small smile etched on his lips gave him away.

Tsubaki chuckled at his childish-like behavior. Okay, time to start to have an idle conversation with him. Her mind rambled about things to ask him. Finally, she inquired, "So, what kind of things do you enjoy in? We could shape this around interests."

Ragna thought for a moment. "Mainly cooking; although it's hard to do it a lot, now. I also…"

Ragna's answer slowed to a stop as he noticed the waiter coming back, holding two steaming pots and matching small cups. He set the dishware on the table and took out his pad and pen. "Are you two ready to order?"

"Yes," Tsubaki replied. She looked back at her menu, double-checking the entries. "I'll have the kung pao chicken dish. He'll have the dan dan noodles, and we'll both take the eight-piece dumplings to share. Is that right, Ragna?"

"Yup, that 'bout clears it."

"Thank you very much. Your meal will arrive in due time." And with that, the waiter left, leaving the couple alone once again.

"So," Ragna started. "Why… um, did you join the Wings of Justice?"

"Oh…" That had been one of the last things Tsubaki expected him to ask. She didn't expect him to ask of her past occupation. Well, the question was already asked. "After graduating from the Academy, I hoped to work in the same division as Jin. That obviously never happened. Afterwards, I requested the position in the Zeroth Division. I believed it was the best way to help preserve justice and order, but…"

After taking a sip of her drink, she looked down at her hands on the table in shame. "And now I realized that I've been doing just the opposite. Now, seeing what the organization had done… just staying in it didn't at all maintain my sense of justice."

Ragna's eyes softened. He hoped to get her out of her sorrow state. As he drank from his teacup, his mind replayed something she had said earlier. He leaned closer and smirked. "So, you got a justice fetish, huh? Why?"

"It's not a… fetish." Tsubaki sheepishly smiled as a blush spread across her cheeks. "It's just, I've… always idolized the Six Heroes. For them to stand up against such a monster, they really inspired me."

He let out a puff of a laugh and teased, "The Six Heroes, huh? So, you're what they call a fangirl."

Her blush darkened as she joined him in his laugh. "I suppose so. Have you ever met any of them?"

"I didn't tell you?" Ragna gave her a questionable glance. Deciding to omit discussion of Hakumen, he turned his expression into a wry smile, eager to see what her reaction to his next statement would be. "After the shit that happened at my home, I was actually found a bit later by Jubei. He was my master for years."

Tsubaki was silent for two minutes. She let his words process and repeat in her mind. _Ragna was trained by…? _He was trained by Jubei. That Jubei of the Six Heroes. Without warning, she pressed her hands to the table and leaned in as far as she could. Her eyes held hysteria as tried to minimize her squeal. "Are you serious? You were trained by… Oh my God, that must have been…! You were trained by _the_ Jubei of the Six Heroes?"

Sure enough, her excitement got the better of her. It was all Ragna had to do not to hold a goofy smile out. "Yeah, the old cat trained me for about half of my life. Taught me mainly just how to control my right arm."

"Control your…" Tsubaki came to realization. "You… never did finish your story about what happened after the Terumi incident. How did you get your arm back?"

"Well, my arm isn't 'back'." Ragna sighed as he held up his right arm. He pushed his jacket and shirt sleeve back enough to reveal some black obsidian-like material. _I knew I had to tell her eventually._ "This is the Azure Grimiore, or what some people say 'the strongest grimiore that ever existed'."

Curiosity gripped Tsubaki and reached out to gently hold his arm. It felt strange, though. "This… substance. I've only heard legends of the Azure Grimiore, but…"

Lost in her verbal thoughts, she hadn't realized she had been running her hands down his limb. When her mind caught up, she let go and laid her hands on the table once more. "Oh, excuse me. Um… do you still have your sense of touch, though?"

"Don't know how this shit does it, but somehow I do." And just to prove it, he extended his arm forward only to lightly grab one of her hands again. He smiled at her.

"Please, your language needs to be watched tonight." In spite of the tone in her voice, Tsubaki blushed and returned his smile as they held their hands for a little longer. A question burned in Tsubaki's mind, and excitement got the better of her. Although nervous, she practically begged. "Um… would it be alright if you could arrange an introduction with me and Jubei? Please? I would very much like to meet another member of the Six Heroes. Please?"

Ragna smiled at her exuberance and nodded. "Course you can. The cat shows up from time to time, so I'll make sure to introduce you next time I see him."

"Thank you so much!" Tsubaki made a mental note to herself to hug and kiss him later; as such actions were not possible, given their current position at the table.

Soon after, the waiter walked in, pushing a cart filled with multiple steel pots. Two heavenly large plates with each of their meals were served first. They both could smell the deep fried and cooked meal, holding in the patience until everything was laid out. The waiter put a small rectangular plate with two columns of four steamed dumplings. He also put different glass dishes for the condiments. "Enjoy."

"Thank you." Tsubaki immediately set to work. She poured vinegar into one of the small glass dishes and took two of her share of the dumplings. Ragna began by taking his chopsticks and dipping them in the bowl. They came back up grasping a couple of noodles and he plopped them in his mouth. Afterwards, he watched between Tsubaki's chicken and herself closely. As soon as the latter's eyes closed in pleasure, he lashed his chopsticks towards her plate, and helped himself with a couple pieces of the meat. "What… Hey!"

He suppressed a chuckle in response and watched her slightly gaped face as he bit down on part of her dinner. He said nothing, but only offered her a small wink with his left eye.

* * *

"Shit! My mouth is still burning!" Ragna complained for the third time that night. He heaved out heavy breaths and coughed. All that on his mind was to get something to cool it off as soon as possible.

Tsubaki giggled like a schoolgirl at his ongoing antics as they walked through the street. She couldn't help but give him a knowing look- one that said 'I told you so'. "I specifically told you it was spicy, Ragna. You don't get to whine. And besides, I thought the Grim Reaper could handle a lot more."

"Tch." Ragna huffed and rolled his eyes. _What's with her and teasing me so much tonight? Although, it is kinda cute. _He offered her a contented smile. _It's also nice to see her happy like this._

Tsubaki laughed and hugged his arm, getting as close she could with him. "Oh, don't be like that."

For emphasis, she rose on her toes and pecked him on the cheek, much like before their meal. Ragna continued to walk, looking for anything else to do before the Rabbit had to warp them back to the mansion. An ice-cream stand, ran by an aged man, caught his attention. He gave her a nudge and pointed. "Want some ice cream?"

"Yes, please. It could sooth your dying throat, as well."

Ragna just rolled his eyes for a second time and they trekked closer to the stand. He glanced down at his girlfriend. "I'll pay for it. What flavor?"

"Definitely chocolate." Tsubaki answered without hesitation.

* * *

Shortly after, the pair sat together at a park. Not many people were present, something Tsubaki was grateful for; she did not want any civilians to see and/or report sightings of the Grim Reaper. Sitting in his lap, Tsubaki insatiably ate her dessert, licking her scoop off of the cone. She moaned in pleasure at the wondrous flavor. Chocolate.

Ragna, who had long finished his dessert, and currently had his arms coiled around her, merely watched as Tsubaki attacked her treat. In fact, the cold treat had helped with his scalding throat. He said, "Slow down, the ice cream's not going anywhere. You're gonna get sick."

"I can't help it. I haven't had chocolate since forever."

Ragna only just grinned at her. Taking his silence as a sign to continue, Tsubaki reminisced, "I… I remember how Jin used to advise me to stay away from chocolate. He said it was too unhealthy, but at some times, I didn't listen."

"Heh, guess that little prick did show to have a heart at some point, eh?" The duo remained silent for a few more minutes. Tsubaki had almost finished her dessert, now starting to munch on the cone. A fun little idea came to mind. She dipped one finger in her cone and turned around in his arms. At his questioning glance, she swiped her tainted finger through his face, smearing ice cream on his nose. Ragna, taken by surprise, asked. "Why'd you do that?"

"So I can do this." Tsubaki answered. Before her boyfriend could say another word, she leaned her head up and kissed his nose. Her tongue flicked and licked the chocolate clean. She moved her head back and gazed into his eyes.

Ragna smirked when she ended the brief affection. He raised a teasing eyebrow when he looked at her lips. "Oh, yeah? You got some ice cream on your lips, there."

"Oh?" Tsubaki raised an eyebrow. She would not let this opportunity pass. "Would you mind getting it for me?"

"Gladly." Ragna tilted her head his way and pressed his lips against hers. The taste of chocolate on her plump lips only served to turn him on more.

As Tsubaki reached over to wrap her arms around his neck, she dropped her dessert. Her eyes closed with delight as she returned it. Ragna, lost in ecstasy, leaned back on the ground, urging her to climb on. Ragna's hands roamed along her back and to her head, where his fingers stroked strands of her red hair.

Tsubaki obliged without hesitation. She moaned in pleasure and parted her lips, letting her tongue stretch into his mouth. Ragna groaned as he met her tongue with his. His roaming hands managed to slip under her shirt and his fingers traced patterns on her smooth skin. After a few beautiful moments, Tsubaki, breathless, pulled back. She gazed into his eyes with a longing passion.

She held him and thought about how much he had changed her life in the course of two weeks. How much care he had shown for her, and vice versa. Him doing everything he could even when they were supposed to be enemies. The amount of affection they had given and returned to each other. Tsubaki voiced three simple words, quiet enough for only Ragna to hear. "I love you..."

Ragna gasped as he was taken back. Mind swirling, he replied, "Uh… yeah, you too."

"What's wrong?" Tsubaki asked with a worried tone. _Did I… say something to make him uncomfortable?_

"Nothing." Ragna answered, a little too fast. He eased her concern with a small smile while he petted her head. "It's just… it feels kinda weird for me to say it. Don't get me wrong, I feel the same way."

He gave her a timid glance, fearing that she would mad.

He heard her say with an understanding smile, "I understand; it is a bit of a heavy phrase to throw around. We'll just have to work on that, then."

Ragna smiled at her choice of words and understanding. He cradled her head and pecked her lips once and smiled. "Yeah."

* * *

**Author's Note: Now that the first three drabbles are done, it's time to move on to the others. Remember, even though they will not take place in the Crimson Camellia storyline, Ragna and Tsubaki will already be together in them. **


	4. Shelter

As the breeze of cool air flowed, Tsubaki shivered. She and Ragna had been traveling through the seithr levels out of the climate control ars. She knew that they were getting deeper, and frankly… it exhausted her down to the core. It kept the pair safe from any witnesses or reports. However, in the late hour in this thickness of the dense fog, many beasts could be lurking around. Her thoughts were abruptly stopped when another waft of frigid air surged through. Teeth chattering more than ever, Tsubaki brought her hands to her mouth and blew artificial warm air into them.

Ragna looked over at her trembling form. While he was used to such conditions, she was… not as much. Stopping without a word, he took off his sack and jacket and held it in front of her. Although he shivered, he tried his best to hide it. Tsubaki looked up inquisitively and asked, "Um… Ragna?"

"Here." He pressed the jacket further towards her. "The last thing I want is for you to die on me because of some cold-ass weather."

Although his choice of words, sans the unneeded use of profanity, touched her, Tsubaki shook her head. "Ragna, are you sure? What if…?"

He smirked at her. "Don't worry; I can take it. Plus, I never do get to see what you look like in it. Probably look hot in it, more than usual, I mean."

Tsubaki chuckled and, giving up, she took hold of the jacket. She pressed the clothing to her nose. The coppery scent of dried blood entered her nostrils; she could tolerate it for the time being. Afterwards, she rose on her tiptoes and placed her lips on his cheek for a moment. "Such flattery is rather... unexpected from you, Ragna. And to be honest, it sounds weird coming from your mouth. But, thanks; you can be quite a gentleman, after all."

"Heh, no problem." Ragna embraced his girlfriend for a couple seconds. He released his hold and smiled as he watched her put on his jacket. The jacket had proven to be somewhat much larger than her usual wear- it was long enough to almost reach the end of her thighs. In all honesty, he felt a little naked without it, now just wearing his long sleeved, black zippered shirt. Shaking his head, he only threw back the little bag on his back once more.

Before either of them could say a word, light rustling of the grass not far from them sounded. The pair whipped their heads around to see a rather large creature. The animal, much to Tsubaki's surprise, had not been affected by the seithr thickness, a rarity. It had a firm, fur-covered body with medium-sized antlers. Occupied and highly interested in the blades of the tall grass, the deer had not noticed either humans spying on it.

After eating its share, it trekked away slowly, as though inviting to be hunted down. Quiet as a mouse, Ragna nudged Tsubaki. "C'mon. Ever hunted before?"

"Um… never, actually. Environmental survival was never my strongest suit."

"Alright. No worries. I'll show you how it's done."

Although Tsubaki blanched at the idea, she nevertheless nodded in agreement. _It's not like either of us brought any food to last us for the night. _She obliged, "Alright, then. Just show me what to do."

"Right." Ragna shucked off his sack given to them by Jubei. He set down the bag and checked the contents. His eyes widened in surprise as how such a bag could hold so much. There was a piece of roped net, a couple of water canteens, a small bag of nuts and berries, a hunting knife, a few various spices, _and_ a limited supply of cooking supplies and utensils. _Damn cat, really overdid it this time, huh?_

Ragna had chosen to take out the net, followed by the bag of the berries and nuts. He smirked at Tsubaki. "Kay now. Just give me some time to set the trap under a good tree."

'Some time' proved to have taken several minutes. Searching until a decent-looking tree came to view took most of the time. After quietly following the animal and estimating its changes of trail and walking patterns, the trap was placed. A common-set net, camouflaged under an assortment of leaves and branches of such, was set underneath a handful of the nuts and berries. Satisfied with his work, Ragna snatched Tsubaki's hand and pulled, earning a shout of surprise. "Ah...! What are…?"

"C'mon, I hear it coming again. Let's go hide." He pulled her over and together, they crouched behind a shrub. "When it's caught, get ready to kill it, yeah?"

Tsubaki slowly nodded in response. Her hand drifted towards the hilt of her blade. "Umm… sure. I'll just… do that."

"Heh, nothing to be really worried about. Hunting was one of the main things I did with Master." He paused to turn his head her direction with a wry smirk. "Unless, the high and mighty 'Princess Yayoi' can't handle dirtying her hands with something as easy as this shit. Maybe you should just close your eyes."

Tsubaki huffed in response and spoke, rather quiet enough for the deer to not acknowledge them. "I can handle myself just fine, Mr. Grim Reaper. It's just new to me."

"Well, if you ever need the comfort…" He whispered and wrapped one of his arms around his girlfriend's waist and pulled her closer. "I could always lend you my chest for if you can't handle it. Kinda like last time."

If it were any other situation, Tsubaki would have felt a little touched by his words. However, she blinked at his last choice of words. She whipped her head away from him to avoid eye contact as well as to better hide her blush streaking across her cheeks. "Oh, just let it go, already. That was only _one_ time."

Ragna let out a few chuckles. Before he could say anything, his snickers led to a cough. The cough prolonged for a couple more seconds. He nearly doubled over as his other hand went to his mouth to help filter it. At last, the unexpected hacks stopped. He took deep breaths to catch himself up and shivered. _Crap. I cannot be getting sick._

Tsubaki shot him a glance of concern, forgetting his teasing. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm doing fine. It was just something in the air. Maybe some shitty dust or something." Ragna reassured her while looking at the trap. At long last, their prey had been spotted, walking towards the randomly dropped pile of berries and nuts. Stopping at just before the trigger, it lowered its head and began to munch. _Just a few more steps…_ Unexpectedly, Ragna's nose began to tickle a bit. "A-Achoo!"

The deer ceased its eating at the sudden, rough sound, and looked around. Cautious, it turned away and darted in the other direction. Much to the couple's surprise, their prey had completely missed the net trap. Ragna and Tsubaki were left behind the bush, mouths opened in astonishment.

…_What?_ "Hey, what the hell?"

"Ragna…"

"No, I'm catching that thing. Wait here." Hungry and unexpectedly desperate, Ragna jumped over the bush and began to dart in the direction.

Tsubaki's mind slowly came to realization as she watched her boyfriend head forward. Pointedly, in the direction of the sensitive net trap. She was too far to reach him, so she shouted. "Ragna, wait! The trap- the net!"

Tsubaki's cry only served to surprise Ragna. How could he be stupid enough to forget about a trap he set? Ragna tried to slow down in his tracks. It was too late. The string of the net broke under his step and the net gave away catching the criminal. Ragna did not react in time, falling to the ground with a tumble. He grunted and coughed as he sat up and rubbed his head. "Goddammit, not my smartest move there, huh?"

As he heard shuffling footsteps inching closer, he turned his head to see Tsubaki. A light smile, one that told him something was up, adorned her face. He whipped his head the other way, thankful for the darkening sky to hide his blush. His blush of utter embarrassment. "Not. A. Word…"

Tsubaki kneeled down in front of his 'captured' body as giggles sounded from her. "How…? J-Just how on Earth… d-d-did… you manage to forget that that was there, R-Ragna?"

"Stop laughing. It's not funny." Tsubaki did the complete opposite. He sighed. "Ha ha; so funny."

"Don't be like that." Setting her teasing snickers aside for the moment, she crawled a little closer and held out her blade. With careful and accurate cuts, she sliced through the net. As soon as a hole in the net was present, she helped Ragna out of trap. "Geez, Ragna. You need to be more careful next time. Just what were you thinking?"

"Heh… Probably too damn hungry I was acting on instinct there." He brought his hand up to his face, doing his best to avoid eye contact, with his blush darkening.

"Geez…" Tsubaki repeated. She embraced Ragna; he had not been expecting that. Her giggles softened until they ceased. She leaned her head closer until their noses bumped. "Sometimes I think you simply do this to get my attention and sympathy."

"Heh, maybe." Ragna smirked at their sitting position on the ground. Both of his arms wounded their way around her waist. "Who knows? There are other ways to get your attention than falling into my own trap. It could call for me searching for… creative ways, don's you think?"

Red scorched her cheeks at realization of what he had said. Setting any… misleading thoughts aside, she inched her head closer, the ghost of her lips hovering over his. "Yeah, still, it was pretty silly of you."

She punctuated her statement with a kiss full on the lips. With a moan of desire, Ragna held his girlfriend tighter and returned the kiss. Their lips moved in sync with one another. Nothing but peace filled the two. Taking the lead, Ragna began to extend his tongue into her mouth… before he abruptly pulled back with racks of coughs. He tilted his head to the right and brought his hand to his mouth, hoping not to spread it to Tsubaki.

Tsubaki laid a comforting hand on the coughing man's shoulder. "Please, try to take it easy. You're not getting sick, are you?"

""Like I said, Tsu, I'm fine. It's really nothing." The coughing following what he just replied said otherwise.

Tsubaki only shook her head in defiance when he continued to cough. Something, however, behind him caught her eye. She looked over his shoulder and saw another animal. It was surprisingly not affected by the seithr mist as was the deer. The dark fur of the small creature was expectedly hard to distinguish, given the color of the sky and shadows. Its ears only stretched out a couple of inches.

"Huh?" Ragna wondered why Tsubaki was quiet and looking over him. Careful and slow, he shifted his weight and turned his head. His eyes widened at the sight of the rabbit. His stomach growled as his mouth watered. Anything would be of satisfactory for his hunger. Anything. In slow, cautious movement, he gripped the handle of his given knife. Taking aim, he held it up. Before Tsubaki could say a word of protest or reason, he threw it. The knife sliced through the air it flew through like a shuriken.

With a wet pierce, the blade dug into the rabbit's sensitive fur and skin, killing it instantly. For the second time that night, Ragna and Tsubaki both stared with widened eyes and mouths. Tsubaki could not begin to fathom how he could do that so quickly. Even Ragna had no idea he would hit it. _Damn… What luck?_

After waiting a brief moment for Tsubaki heft herself from his lap, Ragna hoisted himself and walked over to the dead animal. He picked it up and retracted the knife from its body. Blood oozed out on the blade from the small trench that was made. "Alright, dinner's here. Now all I gotta do is cook it…"

He felt a something wet and light drop on his nose. More drops followed in suit. Looking up, he saw that the grey clouds gave away, precipitating on the forest. Tsubaki had her hair covered with her cap, something she was thankful for. Ragna, shivering, sneezed once.

His girlfriend glanced up sympathetically. "I'm sorry. I wish I had something to lend to you. Unfortunately , you will eventually get sick from this weather."

"Don't worry; not your fault. Hell, neither of us knew it would pour buckets like this tonight." Ragna sneezed again. Without his jacket, he felt more vulnerable to the punitive conditions. The rain already drenched his hair, making it fall in all directions downwards with the tips just exceeding his nose. For the third time he sneezed that night, he almost lost his grip on the dead rabbit. _This is a bad pouring._

Without warning, Tsubaki grabbed his wrist and began to walk, tugging him rather forcefully. She said, "Let's go. I need to get you out of this rain as soon as I can. Perhaps there will be shelter of some sort in this forest. A cave is preferable."

Ragna couldn't help but admit that Tsubaki was being somewhat… forceful for a moment. He followed without a word as the rain kept sheeting down on them, harder than before.

* * *

To the couple's relief, they had found a cave of some sort. It was quite narrow, but ran deep enough to be of satisfactory. Eyeing a couple of thick sticks and twigs in the corner, Tsubaki made her way towards them, letting go of Ragna's wrist in the process. She quickly and silently gathered the sticks into a pile not too close to the entrance of the cave. She then bent down and pointed at it with her pointer and middle finger. She muttered a special ars and, soon enough, a flame sprouted from her finger and on the twigs and sticks, burning them instantly. The fire was controlled, enough so that it would not simmer down too early or spread too fast.

Giving her work a nod, she gripped Ragna's wrist tightly once more as he offered, "You want me to cook the rabbit?"

"No, thank you. I can do it myself." She turned a watchful eye on him. With his wrist still in her tight grip, he led him to the far end of the cave and away from the entrance. Sitting him down, she said, "You, on the other hand, need to rest. And don't move either."

"Yes, MOM." He rolled his eyes and obliged.

"There's no need for that attitude, mister. I don't need to hear it. Now just a minute…" Tsubaki unbuttoned the cape of her standard officer uniform and shed it away. She shuffled and bent down until she was completely behind him.

Before he could ask what she was intending to do, she beat him to it. Tsubaki took her cape and draped it over the top of his wet hair and rubbed rather hastily, drying it as a towel would. Surprised by her persistence, he gazed his vision upwards, but her face was blocked by his hanging white hair and cape. "Tsu, you really don't have to do that."

"Of course I do." For emphasis, she rubbed harder. She fixed a glare forward, not wanting to hear any more protests or complaints from her boyfriend. "You getting sick will purely not fly with me, Ragna. Now shush."

_She sure can be forceful and pushy when she wants, huh? _Ragna prepared to protest, but remained silent. Her rather forceful movements on the cape in his hair continued for another minute. He sighed in defeat, letting a small smirk etch its way on his lips. He let his eyes shut, as well.

Satisfied with the amount of swipes she did in such time. She removed the cape completely from his head. Naturally, the dry strands and chunks of his white hair stood on its own. Tsubaki draped the 'towel' over his shoulders, acting as a blanket. Her gloved hands gripped a couple of tuffs of the remaining wet spikes at the bottom and squeezed. Collected rain water dripped out and onto the floor.

Ragna opened his eyes at her next actions. His eyes turned to the corners as he tried to leer at her, a teasing smirk surfacing on his face. "So, having fun with that? Bet you're just trying to find every damn possible way to want to touch my hair, huh?"

Tsubaki blushed as she stopped. "I… I suppose that could be one way to look at it. But with your hair wet at night like this could cause you to catch a cold."

As is summoned by cue, he coughed a couple times, but tried to dim it down. He extended his arm as best as he could to cup her far cheek. Tsubaki gasped in surprise, but did not recoil from his frigid hand. Ragna tilted his face against her cheek, pecking it. Tsubaki lowered her chin down on his shoulder. She returned his brief affection by rubbing her head with his, mind straying from what she was previously doing.

After another moment of simply staying in that position, Tsubaki sighed as she removed herself from her boyfriend. She made her way to the center of the cave, where the flames still danced. "I'm going to cook the rabbit, now. You need to rest. I'll wake you up when it's finished."

"Yeah, sure." He kept his eyes on Tsubaki's back a little longer. He closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, his last sight of Tsubaki beginning to prepare the rabbit blackening in his vision.

* * *

After a restful thirty minutes, Ragna's eyes lidded open. He inhaled deeply, taking in the new scent of cooked meat. Before he could say a word to Tsubaki, coughs were released from his body. Tsubaki looked over at the sudden noises and, taking his share of the rabbit, silently walked over so that she was in front of him. He smirked as he watched her hold it out for him, the prepared aroma filling his nostrils even more. As he reached out to take it, she suddenly slapped it down, earning a squawk. "Hey-"

"You're too sick to move, Ragna." The rabbit did not burn Tsubaki's hands, as they were veiled underneath her black gloves. With a fork in one hand, she guided the piece to his mouth. "Let me."

"Heh," Ragna kept his smirk plastered on his face as he leered. "Since when were you for one to act so motherly, Tsu? Seriously, you've treated me like a child almost all night."

"Simply because you were and are getting sick even more. As well _you _were the one being repulsive and a bit reckless, tonight." She punctuated her light scold by putting the fork in his mouth. However, a small smile crept on her face. She couldn't help but admit that there was truth in his words; she had been a little pushy lately. But even in this situation… Shaking her head, she speared another piece of the meat and fed him again. "Stop whining."

"Yes, mom." Ragna repeated with his mouth rather full.

"And please refrain from eating with your mouth full, Ragna." This time, a giggle suppressed from her at his childish antics. Okay, so she was treating him like a child a bit. Memories swirled around Tsubaki's mind of how her mother and father would discipline her to be the perfect child. She paused after putting each piece in his mouth, letting him chew and swallow. Mild coughs and sneezes would arouse from the criminal, but he fought them down.

After several minutes of silence and periodic chewing, Ragna was finally full. He swallowed his last bite as he watched Tsubaki make her way to the fire. She appeared to have muttered another ars of some sort. Yellow numbers, counting down, hovered over the flames for just a moment, and then disappeared. Tsubaki smiled and walked back over to her sick boyfriend. "I've just set a timer for when the flames will die out. I hope we are asleep by then."

Ragna let out several coughs, mentally cursing about how damn cold it was. Shivering, he gave her a smile as she bent down and rested her head on his shoulder. Wrapping her in the cocoon of his one-arm embrace, he said, "Now I have a damn bedtime, too? Seriously, Tsu…"

She only laughed in response and snuggled closer. Ignoring his unnecessary comment, she looked up and offered, "Do you want the jacket back? You probably need it more than I do, now."

"Nah, I'm fine."

"…If you insist." Mild guilt weighed on Tsubaki as she looked him in the eye. "I… I apologize if I was being a bit forceful back there. And bossy."

"Heh, don't worry, Tsu. Sometimes I do need someone to keep me in check, don't I?" He tilted his head closer to hers. At nose-touching proximity, he continued, "Seriously though, thanks for taking care of me."

Ragna closed his eyes and took the lead. He claimed his lips with hers, creating a font of warmth between them. Tsubaki slightly moaned as she returned the kiss, hands coming up to press on his chest. Her eyes lidded, pleasure rousing through her body. The kiss felt that it just begun before Tsubaki pulled back, face no doubt red.

She looked over and saw that the dancing flames finally died down, leaving no light. Rain hammered down harder than ever across the forest. Tsubaki did not care, however. Rather, she beamed as she silently enveloped her boyfriend with both of her arms to help warm the pair up more. She felt that her heavy eyelids could not hold up any longer, and they fell down as she lolled her head on Ragna's shoulder. She at last drifted off to sleep.


	5. Heaven

**Author's Note: Okay, this is my first attempt at a lemon (I just hoped I pulled it off on at least a good track, here).**

**Warning: Because that this is a lemon, there will obviously be suggestive scenes. This also falls under the category listed 'Not Safe For Work'.**

**Don't blame me if your mother finds this in your History. Well, anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

Ragna opened the door to the hotel room, Tsubaki followed in suite. Her hand holding his pulled, letting him in. They had just returned from a special dinner. As soon as both of them were inside, Tsubaki lead them both to a couch. Ragna wasted no time to sit down in exhaustion; it had been a long night.

Tsubaki smiled luminously as she took her seat on her boyfriend's lap. Silent, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and felt his strong arms embrace her. After giving him a well-deserved kiss on the lips, she leaned in and placed her head against his chest, simply content. "That was so nice…"

"Yeah, that was very good. Wish we could eat like that more often." Ragna said and held her tighter. When her head planted itself against him, he leaned his head down and nuzzled. His nose pressed to her hair and Ragna sniffed, taking in a beautiful scent. Moving his nose to her cheek, he sniffed once more. And said, "Mm… You smell good."

"Oh? Do I?" Tsubaki blushed and cuddled closer, an automatic reaction. She smiled sheepishly as she looked away for a bit. "I… Makoto offered me some, um, perfume for tonight. I hoped it pleased you."

"It did," Ragna said with a nod. He turned her head with one of his hands, gently urging her to look at him. He wore a smug look- one that could easily be interpreted that something was up. "You know, I am still hungry."

"Just how can you be? You practically ate two times the amount I did."

He snickered, "That's not what I'm hungry for."

Ragna immediately leaned in and placed a single kiss on Tsubaki's lips. After letting her return it once, he parted their lips and descended his head down. Tsubaki gasped in surprise as she felt his wet lips come into contact with her neck. She did not resist; rather, she moved her head to help gain further access. Her breaths grew louder, shuddering. Her heart beat like a drum at the increasing level of intimacy.

At last, Ragna ceased his actions and offered her a soundless smirk Tsubaki had come to love. She giggled in pure happiness and inclined her head to peck him on the nose. Retreating, she gazed into his eyes and asked, "You're not going to leave me, right?"

Ragna's eyes were painfully honest as he answered quietly. "Course not, Tsu. Ain't gonna leave you. You should know that. Why'd you ask?"

"Just making sure, Ragna." She replied before cupping his cheeks with her gentle hands and pulled him in, kissing him deep.

Moans of felicity escaped from the couple. Each tightened their embrace. Tsubaki leaned back, urging her boyfriend on top. Ragna obliged without hesitation and pressed himself gently on top. He allowed his tongue to trace her lips, before entering in her mouth, and let out a pleased groan as he felt her tongue come in contact with his. Ragna's mind was a jumbled mess. He had so many things he wanted to say, but it would ruin this moment.

He pulled back an inch, his lips just barely hovering over hers. He said, "You seriously have no idea how much you mean to me, Tsubaki. I was seriously pretty damn lonely 'till I met ya."

"What's with all the sudden confessions?" Tsubaki asked.

"Nothing, really." Ragna gently shook his head and smiled down, only allowing Tsubaki to see this side of him. "Just… I felt that I needed to say that. Damn, it's probably unnatural and weird for an 'SS-Class' criminal to be opening up like this."

"No, it's not." Tsubaki reassured. She thought over his words, feeling touched. Never before, not even with Jin, had she ever felt this amount of happiness. She needed to make sure that she absolutely would be with him. She whispered, "I feel the same way, too. I won't leave you either, Ragna."

"Thank you." Ragna expressed his gratitude with another kiss, more intimate than the previous ones. He succeeded in turning his girlfriend on.

Tsubaki desired much more. She wanted more. A single thought came into her mind: Ragna was all hers. When Tsubaki broke off the kiss, her lips curved into an evil smirk, and she requested. "Here, why don't we get into the bed? This small couch really isn't the place for two people."

Ragna blushed at first at her sudden forwardness, but nonetheless nodded and lifted himself off of her. Standing from the couch, he bent down and scooped up Tsubaki with little effort. He carried her to the bed of the hotel room and sat down, easing her on his lap. "Like this? Or would you rather…"

"This is certainly nice…" Tsubaki replied, but at once pushed him down on the bed. Using the opportunity, she climbed fully on top, legs straddling his hips. "But this is much better. Wouldn't you agree?"

Ragna couldn't help but remain speechless at her forcefulness. He smirked as his arms coiled around her and pulled her close until their noses touched. "Heh, yeah. This is better."

He licked the tip of her nose with his. Tsubaki giggled, withdrawing her head away for a bit. "I'm glad. This is so nice."

Tsubaki punctuated her statement with a deep kiss on the lips, closing her eyes. She moaned as she felt one of Ragna's hands drift upwards to her hair. The other held her firmly in place, not that it really needed to. But it did serve to turn her one further, though. Her hands made their way to the front of his body gripping each side of his red jacket. They quickly worked, doing everything they could to help remove the jacket. Ragna knew what she wanted, and he squirmed, making progress. Eventually the offending jacket was removed.

Tsubaki pressed herself closer, and broke the kiss. With her passion building, she lightly grabbed the zipped of his black shirt and pulled down. She grinned up at him. Ragna returned the grin, knowing exactly what she wanted. He shed off his shirt, the top half of his body now completely bare. As a blush across Tsubaki's cheeks, Ragna teased, "Hey. Seems fair if you'd do the same, don't you think?"

"I certainly will not cave in that easily." Tsubaki gave him a playful flick on the forehead. She challenged, "You'll have to earn it."

"I accept." Ragna closed the gap between their lips and kissed rapidly. Both of his hands reached over to run through her gorgeous hair. Tsubaki's vision blackened with unadulterated lust. After several moments, Ragna pulled back and faked a depressed sigh of frustration. He impishly whined, "You are so not making this easy for me, Tsu."

"I will never make it easy for you, Ragna. Take it or leave it."

Ragna already knew his answer without question, and responded by kissing her neck hastily. Tsubaki moaned, kneading her fingers with the skin of her boyfriend's toned abs. Ragna's hands sloped down to the hem of Tsubaki shirt. He waited for any sign of resistance, but received none. With a slow pace, he began to raise the clothing up, beginning to expose her pale skin.

Tsubaki sat up and raised her arms, letting the shirt peel all the way over her head. The only thing donned on her upper body was her bra, but she was sure it was only a matter of time before it would shed off too. She followed Ragna's eyes and visibly blushed as she had just caught him staring. She teased, "Well, I certainly do not want you to drool, now. Are you sure you can handle this? I can always put it back on…"

"No! No… That won't be necessary." Because he undoubtedly did _not_ want that shirt back on. He huffed at her remark. "I can't handle it, huh? You're talking to the Grim Reaper, here, Tsu."

"You mean the Grim Reaper completely under my mercy, right?"

_Shit, got me there._ "You sure?"

His hands rapidly made their way to her backside. They found the clip of her bra and began to handle it. To Ragna's relief, he finally unfastened it. Tsubaki took off the undergarment and discarded it off the bed. Leaning down, she emitted a gasped at the feel of their bare upper bodies pressed together. She embraced him and enveloped Ragna's lips with hers in a searing kiss. As if reading their mind, they both parted their lips and let their tongues dance around one another.

"Dear God," Ragna muttered in the kiss. "I've created a monster…"

Tsubaki laughed at his remark. Letting the kiss break, she turned an alluring smile his way. Her fingers looped to the hem of his pants. Ragna understood what she wanted, and he began to squirm out of his pants. Before too long, various pieces of clothing began to scatter unceremoniously on the hotel floor, one by one. At last, every bit of clothing the couple wore were splayed out.

Tsubaki leaned her naked form down and touched Ragna's forehead with hers, eyes closing. Her lips grazed his as she spoke hoarsely. "Ragna… I want you so much."

"I always want you, Tsubaki…" Ragna closed the distance between their lips, lust burning. Tsubaki gasped loudly as she felt his exploring hands making their way to her breasts. Scooting herself forward, Tsubaki lightly touched the opening of her shaft against his member, taking full lead. He playfully groaned as he released the kiss. "Crap. That's not fair. Who said you get to be the one on top?"

Tsubaki laughed as she cupped his face with both hands. She leaned low and whispered in his ear. "It's because you're all mine, Ragna."

Her hips rocked forward once for emphasis. She established a sort of… rhythm as she teased his member. Ragna, hearing her say all that in a possessive tone, fell into pace. He slowly led his member further up, through the wet glove of her sex. The sensation of being entered like this was one words could not describe. Tsubaki bit her lip for a bit, and then placed both of her hands on top of Ragna's shoulders. Fingernails dug into his flesh as she leaned in to give him a deep kiss on the lips.

Ragna's hands continued their exploration throughout every detail of his girlfriend's body, from her rear to caressing her breasts. Her moans were swallowed in his mouth as she continued thrusting forward. Ragna placed himself all the way inside, burying his appendage all the way in her shaft. The body heat emanated engulfed the pair, and their movements stimulated in unison. Overwhelming desire escaped from the pair. Tsubaki gripped his hair and held tightly, never wanting to let go. She felt herself shudder in sheer delight, feeling herself beginning to climax.

Feeling her thighs tremble, Ragna helped by locking one of hands on her thigh for balance. The folds of her slits squeezed steadily, sending a high amount of bliss towards Ragna. The light pain from her clenching fingernails made is body tingle. Tsubaki broke the kiss and kissed her boyfriend's nose with a giggle. One of her hands subconsciously made its way behind his head to stroke through his hair. They sat there for several minutes, disregarding the outside world. All that mattered to them was being with each other.

Dizzy, Tsubaki slid off of Ragna, releasing her hold on his appendage. Lying on his left side, she extended her arms and held him in a loving embrace. Well aware of what had just happened between them, she stroked his cheek before placing a kiss on it. She pulled back just enough to mutter, "I love you so much, Ragna."

Ragna lowered his eyelids a bit and smiled at the beautiful woman, no, angel, he was holding. His embrace tightened as he brought her head to rest on his sticky chest. He reciprocated her kiss with one of his own, planting it tenderly on her forehead. "I love you, too, Tsubaki."

Tsubaki found no words to say in response, nor find the breath to breathe. She settled with just solely lying with the one she loved, naked and unashamed. She moved her body forward to tuck her face in the crook of Ragna's neck, ear pressed to his chest. She sighed as she listened to the steady beating of his heart.

Ragna tilted his head down to catch her lips with his before saying, "That was so goddamn amazing." He paused to look directly into her blue pupils, wholly mesmerized. "God, I love you. I just want you know how much you mean…"

Tears budded at her eyelids, emotions showing. To hear someone say this out loud. To have someone with her and to be with her. To be loved and cherished by someone she could return those feelings. Tsubaki sniffled and smiled up, their lips barley touching. She said, "And you mean so much to me, as well. I… don't know if I told you yet, but… I'm so happy that I met you, Ragna."

"Same." Ragna captured her lips once before looking at the nearby clock. "Hey, it's almost 9. Is there anything else we want to do?"

"Oh, no. This is actually fine." _Is it that late, already? Time sure moves fast._ Tsubaki thought for a moment, before settling in closer. She kissed his lips once and rubbed noses together, a gesture she had grown to love. She snuggled closer, content with just lying there in his arms. "Actually, could you hold me? I just want to stay like this."

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, that's now done. What did you think? (Yes, I realize I might have made Tsubaki a little seductive, here) This was my first lemon I wrote, so I might have missed something, but… oh well. Don't expect another one posted here for a quite a while. I'm usually not the type who usually enjoys this kind of stuff anyways. :/**


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